[NEW EPISODE] Children's Mental Health

Fridays 10:00am - 11:00am (EDT)

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EPISODE SUMMARY:

Info about Long Island's most pressing problems, ways in which FCA is working to address those problems and ways in which our neighbors can get involved.

Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds is the President and CEO of Family and Children’s Association (FCA) in Garden City, NY. Under his leadership, FCA, with a $24 million budget, supports vulnerable populations on Long Island. Dr. Reynolds has secured over $18 million in new funding and launched several innovative services.

Previously, he was Executive Director of LICADD, expanding substance abuse prevention programs and increasing services. He also worked with the Long Island Association for AIDS Care for 19 years.

Active in various health and community boards, Dr. Reynolds is a recognized expert on substance use and HIV/AIDS, having authored over 250 articles. He holds degrees in psychology, public administration, and a doctorate from Stony Brook University. A two-time cancer survivor and marathon runner, he has raised funds for numerous charities.

 #PublicHealth #CommunityService #SubstanceAbuse #NonprofitLeader #MentalHealth #AddictionRecovery #CancerSurvivor #MarathonRunner #HIVAwareness #YouthPrograms

Tune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc

Show Notes

‍Segment 1

Tommy D opens the show by introducing himself as the nonprofit sector connector, sharing the story of how his show began. He then introduces his guest, Jeffrey Reynolds, and gives a brief overview of Jeffrey's organization. Jeffrey discusses the origins of his organization and details his journey to where he is today. 

Segment 2

Tommy D begins the segment by delving deeper into Jeffrey's background and current position. He discusses the impact of Jeffrey's work on the nonprofit world. Jeffrey talks about his work ethic, the journey that led him to his current role, and how his sense of duty and desire to serve keeps his ego in check while driving his commitment to the organization. 

Segment 3

Tommy D begins the segment by highlighting the organization's website. He then discusses a recent conference he attended, connecting its relevance to Jeffrey's organization. Tommy D elaborates on the organization's mission, focusing on how it helps people through various programs and initiatives designed to support the community.

‍Segment 4

Tommy D begins the final segment by discussing how the organization focuses on supporting children's mental health. Jeffrey elaborates on the negative impact social media can have on children's mental well-being and outlines the strategies his organization is implementing to address these challenges. He further explains the organization's overarching goals and initiatives aimed at helping children, concluding the show with a strong emphasis on their mission to support and improve youth mental health.

Transcript

00:00:49.090 --> 00:00:56.860 Tommy DiMisa: I made the trek this morning. I came all the way back up to the attic just below the roof of my house. Philanthropy and focus Tommy D,

00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:15.879 Tommy DiMisa: the nonprofit sector connector. I'm feeling I I don't know why I'm feeling extra anxious about this show today. I really am. I? I'm feeling like I'm feeling fired up. If the numbers are right. This is the 175th episode of this program. If I did the math right, which to me is unbelievable because

00:01:16.390 --> 00:01:27.146 Tommy DiMisa: it's an idea I had. It was a thing I said. I said, I'm going to go do the show. It's called philanthropy and focus. And then I walked around telling people for 2 years that I was going to do the show, and nothing happened.

00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:57.390 Tommy DiMisa: Covid happens January 8, th 2,021. I'm here in the attic, and we do the 1st ever episode. And that was Katie Mcgowan from horse ability here on Long Island. So a little bit of home cooking again today? Most, if not. Yeah. Most, I'll say of the organizations that we connect with our Long Island based New York City based nonprofit organizations. Though we have had folks around the country and around the globe on the show today is even a little more about home cooking. Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds. Good morning, sir. How are you.

00:01:57.390 --> 00:02:04.469 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Good morning, Tommy Dee. Great to see you. Thank you so much for having me on, and for a landmark 175th show congrats.

00:02:04.470 --> 00:02:26.530 Tommy DiMisa: I love it, I love it. I was out to dinner a couple of weeks ago with a colleague of ours Lisa Burch from epic here in Long Island, and she wants to be on Episode 200. So trying to work out the details, I wanted to have her on the episode right away. She liked the number 200. We'll see how we work that out. And so you're here for a big one, too. Everyone's a big one gang, because here's the thing I'm bringing on leaders and nonprofit organizations, as I like to say, to help them tell their story

00:02:26.550 --> 00:02:32.529 Tommy DiMisa: and amplify their messages, and that's what it is. I tell you this all the time, or at least I used to say it all the time.

00:02:33.060 --> 00:02:39.509 Tommy DiMisa: Nonprofits change our lives each and every day. And it's the leaders and their their staff.

00:02:39.510 --> 00:03:03.700 Tommy DiMisa: And they're volunteers that are the people that are on the front lines that are making impact and making change. I wore this T-shirt. I was cleaning out my drawing about a thousand T-shirts. It says, Believe there is good in the world, but it actually says in yellow, Be the good in the world. So if you're only listening, you have to imagine this or send me an email, I'll text you a picture of me wearing the T-shirt. But the thing about it is, it's that's the thing, the thing we can be the change.

00:03:03.700 --> 00:03:10.589 Tommy DiMisa: We can be the good, and I think I'd encourage you all to be the good somehow. This morning I woke up listening to Wayne Dyer.

00:03:10.590 --> 00:03:26.879 Tommy DiMisa: I not necessarily all into Wayne Dyer. But when you listen to Louise Hay or Tony Robbins, or Dr. Joe Dispenza, Youtube has a mind of its own to throw you different curve balls. So this is kind of how I started. So I'm in this different zone. But I talk about being extra anxious today. And it's because

00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:50.299 Tommy DiMisa: I want to serve, and this show is about service. So I want to make sure that we tell the right stories. And yes, it's entertaining, and people plug in because they want to see if I'm going to be silly and whatnot. But it's that's not what the show is about. The show is about delivering the messages and the good work. And when I look at Dr. Reynolds, background and biography, which, to be honest with you, I could just read that for an hour, and that would be the whole show. So we're not going to do that because that wouldn't be as fun.

00:03:50.300 --> 00:04:01.030 Tommy DiMisa: But I I think in terms of I want to be mindful of making sure we come to this episode from a place of service before talk about service before Dr. Reynolds and I get into it. I want to say this.

00:04:01.030 --> 00:04:08.830 Tommy DiMisa: the Long Island imagine awards applications will be available. I'm not going to tell you this down to the second, because it's 34 days.

00:04:08.830 --> 00:04:33.089 Tommy DiMisa: 1 h, 55 min, and 19 seconds, and then it's 18 seconds. After that there's like a countdown. Go to imagine awards la.li.com. Imagine awards li.com Pennsylvania! I almost said, imagine rewards! la.com! I don't know what that means. I don't know if there'll be a long a Los Angeles. Imagine awards, one day I've heard that we might be going up to Westchester at some point soon. Shout out to New York City. Imagine awards Kensery.

00:04:33.090 --> 00:04:40.139 Tommy DiMisa: Kelly, and Serini, and the whole team at Serini and associates so. But the reason I bring it up about the applications will be available.

00:04:40.536 --> 00:04:46.080 Tommy DiMisa: Is because they go live on September 12.th But also there's still sponsorships available.

00:04:46.450 --> 00:05:15.490 Tommy DiMisa: My firm vanguard benefits has been sponsoring the rising star award for the last 6 or 7 years the diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, award is available for sponsorship. And then also the sponsorship for the Hall of fame. I shout that out because you might be listening, and you might be connected to businesses and nonprofits that would benefit from doing that. All right. Commercials aside, let's get into the program. The name of the organization is Family and Children's Association. The name of the leader is Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds. He I want you to tell stories

00:05:15.490 --> 00:05:23.229 Tommy DiMisa: your background, like we talked about. I'm going to pepper in some data points that I have later on probably come back from break. But I always really like to start with.

00:05:23.290 --> 00:05:39.240 Tommy DiMisa: Who are you, sir? How did this happen? How do you end up saying was, what was the catalyst? I assume there's something in your life where you know there's a crossroads where we make these decisions on. I'm going to go work in the social services sector. I want to make an impact for people. Can you tell us about that? How did that work for you?

00:05:40.060 --> 00:05:41.732 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yeah, look, I think.

00:05:42.520 --> 00:05:48.050 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: you know, there's a couple of reasons you enter the space. And generally, when you ask folks in health and human services. How you got into this.

00:05:48.050 --> 00:06:12.990 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: It's oh, I'm a people person, and then your voice begins to trail off, and that kind of thing. Look, I think when you get into the space, you know, it's because as a kid, you needed help and didn't get it, maybe you needed help and you got it, or you're grateful that you didn't need as much help. And you saw people around you that needed help for me. It was a little bit of all of those things. You know, I grew up in Holtsville, home of the Irs. There wasn't a heck of a lot else

00:06:12.990 --> 00:06:21.660 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: there. You know, had a rough time in high school, you know. I still still think back there was a 9th grade English teacher who said to me, You know, Reynolds.

00:06:21.790 --> 00:06:25.319 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Things are going to go either really good for you or really bad

00:06:25.764 --> 00:06:27.530 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: and it was like a challenge.

00:06:27.530 --> 00:06:27.930 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah.

00:06:27.930 --> 00:06:29.130 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Right. It was like.

00:06:29.260 --> 00:06:43.221 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Wow, I don't actually know either, but that feels a little bit like a challenge. And I still remember to this day, I mean, think about how many things you heard in 9th grade that you still remember to this day. And so one of the things that I saw Early on

00:06:43.490 --> 00:06:59.270 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: and had some exposure to his family violence. And so my 1st job out of college was with the victims. Information Bureau of Suffolk County, now merged with E. Cli in Suffolk County, providing court advocacy to victims of domestic violence, who are looking for orders of protection.

00:06:59.440 --> 00:07:21.449 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: and I did that for a little bit more than a year it was a time in Suffolk County, where, within a very short period of time, there were 7 women killed at the hands of their partners. It was a rough time, and before and and at that point in time there wasn't all of this, you know mindfulness and work support, and that kind of thing, you know. At the same time. The Aids crisis was beginning to hit, and here on Long Island.

00:07:21.450 --> 00:07:24.080 Tommy DiMisa: What year we're talking about like 1988, like.

00:07:24.080 --> 00:07:31.949 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yeah, 1,989, so, November 6, th 1,989, I take a job at at an Aids organization.

00:07:32.330 --> 00:07:45.709 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: It's now defunct. I took a job as an Aids organization. I remember my mind being blown because I came to understand that all of these young men on all of these folks that were using heroin were dying left and right, and nobody cared

00:07:45.740 --> 00:07:55.260 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: and keep in mind, and it's hard, especially for younger folks to kind of go back to this. It took President Reagan 60,000 Aids deaths before he said the word in public.

00:07:55.490 --> 00:08:18.229 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: and so I watched an entire generation of young gay men die off. Well, nobody did anything. I watched injection drug users in North Belport and Quorum and Gordon Heights dying off, and nobody was doing anything. And I did that work for 20 years, you know, fast forward to today, Tommy. And, as you know, I'm very active in the opioid crisis, and it feels like almost like coming full circle

00:08:18.230 --> 00:08:27.409 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: right back. Then, heroin was the drug of choice, very different population. Nobody cared. They're drug users. Let them go, and that kind of thing, and here we are. Now.

00:08:27.410 --> 00:08:29.139 Tommy DiMisa: Junkies, man, don't worry about it.

00:08:29.140 --> 00:08:29.620 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Guy.

00:08:29.620 --> 00:08:47.749 Tommy DiMisa: Which where is that? How is that? An answer to anything right like what we're supposed? We're reaching out and pulling them off and helping people out, not brushing them off, I mean, look, we're I'm sure we're going to get into the mental health conversation today, and as that relates to substance, abuse, and things like that. But I mean, if we cast everyone aside

00:08:47.750 --> 00:09:16.769 Tommy DiMisa: because they get themselves jammed up and everything I mean, I'll I'll say it right here, and and most people who know me know this because I don't hide it. You know. September September 21st will be 14 years. I've not had a sip of alcohol in this body, you know, and that's a big deal. Thank you. I appreciate that, and I bring it up because I I, you know I I was never somebody that was missing work, or you know I I was. Whatever functional drinker was right, whatever that means, you know, grew up in the bar business, and it was just I was a bartender, and then I was a salesman, and

00:09:16.770 --> 00:09:32.989 Tommy DiMisa: you know I'm not sure which was worse, being a bartender for being a salesman, for for having access to to drinking. But the thing about it is, if we just cast people away because of some decisions or some some situations that they're in. Dr. Reynolds. I mean, what what are we doing? Right? I don't. I I don't grasp it.

00:09:33.340 --> 00:09:58.249 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Well and and look, the reality is for for many young people that's predetermined. Right? So we talk about choices, decisions. That kind of thing, you know, I grew up in a household impacted heavily by alcohol. I lost my mother to chronic alcoholism. And so, you know, I came to understand early on. And I've talked to my kids about the fact that we're at higher risk for alcoholism. And so if you're born into a family socially, genetically.

00:09:58.250 --> 00:10:08.709 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: environmentally, you are at infinitely higher risk than the kids sitting next to you that may not have the same background and history. And so there's a lot of kids that are born with

00:10:09.028 --> 00:10:22.389 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: some precursors that potentially expose them to bigger and better things. And without the right interventions. You know, they're down that road. So it's not even always free choice that people make. There's some some things that are predetermined in our lives.

00:10:22.390 --> 00:10:27.189 Tommy DiMisa: Genetics in the background. And and you know the socialization, or you know.

00:10:27.220 --> 00:10:46.899 Tommy DiMisa: so there's so much here. So I let's go back a little bit. So it's 1,989, right? Obviously Aids is, is it was scary? Look. I was born in 78 man. So I I remember growing up and and having fear and not understanding, and I think there was a lot of fear around this, of course, but I think

00:10:47.000 --> 00:11:03.759 Tommy DiMisa: I think part of how we get rid of fear, and I want to hear your opinion on this is education and understanding, and becoming aware of certain things, and and it, you know, it makes me again. I was younger, I guess, than you were at the time, so I don't. I don't remember Reagan having like it sounds like just

00:11:03.950 --> 00:11:07.829 Tommy DiMisa: the whole country just looked the other way. Is is the age crisis? Yeah.

00:11:07.830 --> 00:11:14.209 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: They did, they did. And I think when things are are overwhelming, emotionally or scary, we tend to tune them out

00:11:14.280 --> 00:11:28.630 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: right, and with with Aids. You had, you know, the anti gay stigma. You had the anti drug user stigma. You had some other things going on that colored our response. But you know to your point, I think it's 2 things. Yes, I think awareness is critical and important.

00:11:28.630 --> 00:11:47.639 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: but the other piece of it is, and I it kind of go back to today's opioid crisis. There's net. There's now not a person walking this earth that doesn't know someone who struggled with opioids or died of an overdose, and I think that humanizes it like like when it impacts you personally like, Wait a minute. I know that guy.

00:11:47.680 --> 00:12:00.440 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: He wasn't a screw up. He was a good guy that went down or down the rabbit hole, and we tried our best to get him back, and we couldn't do it. You began to situate this along a continuum of human frailties that quite frankly, we all have.

00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:23.120 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, wow, all right. So I wanted, I have so many questions about the opioid crisis and and things like that. But keep us on track with your your career. So that's that's how it starts out. That's your kind of your initial connections vibes first, st you know, with the the domestic violence side of things and protecting people, right court orders, and then moving into this aids world which we spent 20 years of your career in that space.

00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:33.090 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yeah, just short of 20 years. And you know, out of the blue I got a call from Adelphi University, and they said, hey? Look, there's this organization in Nassau County.

00:12:33.741 --> 00:12:45.149 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: They do substance use services. Are you interested in having a conversation about coming and running it? And I said, well, I don't really know. What do they do? Well, one of the things they do is they do planned family interventions.

00:12:45.250 --> 00:13:06.439 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Well, wait a minute, you know I just mentioned to you that that I lost my mother to chronic alcoholism. We tried for years to get her into into treatment. I'm like, Wait, there's a thing. There's an organization where people will come to your house. They'll work with that person. They'll help you create a united front and a strategy for getting that person into care that might have made a huge difference. Tell me more about this organization.

00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:07.230 Tommy DiMisa: Wow.

00:13:07.900 --> 00:13:28.579 Tommy DiMisa: so so that so that's so again, it's life pulls us in certain directions, right? And opportunities in front of us. And and that obviously drew on your own personal experience. And and I I haven't said it yet. My condolences on your mom. I you know. Listen! You're you're welcome. i i i know a lot of people, especially by the drink that I

00:13:28.580 --> 00:13:41.850 Tommy DiMisa: again I grew up working. I was 16 years old as a bartender man, you know, by the time I was, you know, busting tables and washing glasses and stuff. By the time I was 18 I was bartending 4 nights a week, man, I've kind of seen that talk about a continuum. I've seen that man. I've seen

00:13:42.390 --> 00:13:54.569 Tommy DiMisa: the tragedy of lives that end inside of a glass or inside of a bottle man. It's just really really sad. So you you decide that this is the right place to go to right several interviews and stuff like that right?

00:13:54.570 --> 00:14:08.049 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yep. So I go and do that. They said. Look, the organization needs some fixing. And so you know, I spent 9 years there helping to fix the organization. Now run by a very competent gentleman, Steve Chasman, who is actually the clinical director. While I was there.

00:14:08.050 --> 00:14:27.510 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Fca. Came calling a couple of times, and I finally said, Yes, and I imagine we'll talk about Fca. After the break. But you know that brings us to today. And so, all in all, you know, lots of years in the space I stopped counting. How many but lots of years in the health and human services, space as you could tell. I don't necessarily choose easy issues or easy vocations.

00:14:27.510 --> 00:14:29.039 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: but it makes me a better person.

00:14:29.040 --> 00:14:53.989 Tommy DiMisa: I can tell that. And and thank God that there are people. Wow! I said. Thank God, I don't usually go that way. But thanks that there are people like you in the world that are making these choices that are being on the front lines. Yolanda Romano, gross at options, Neila over at Eac Network right? Shout out to Steve Chasman, he's been on the show and actually, I think it's was it, Chris Kelly? It was somebody that I had a connection. I think it was Chris Kelly who's over at Eac? Who does the bell?

00:14:53.990 --> 00:14:54.600 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Of course. Yeah.

00:14:54.600 --> 00:15:03.444 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah. And he was like helping me get to Steve because I did something around substance, abuse and addiction, and the word that's escaping me right now.

00:15:03.850 --> 00:15:05.129 Tommy DiMisa: You know how we.

00:15:05.630 --> 00:15:11.019 Tommy DiMisa: how we protect people. It'll come to me, but maybe if I just drop it here, you'll say, you know

00:15:11.100 --> 00:15:23.120 Tommy DiMisa: we're protecting people who are users, you know not not that when this necessarily legitimizing it, but treating this as a way to protect folks, you know what I'm trying to say. As far as like, you know.

00:15:23.880 --> 00:15:27.101 Tommy DiMisa: in an environment where these folks are are not

00:15:27.630 --> 00:15:29.679 Tommy DiMisa: not at so much risk. If you.

00:15:29.680 --> 00:15:36.070 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yeah, it's got to be safe, supportive and harm. Reduction is the way to go. If you're not ready to stop using today, what can I do to keep you alive till tomorrow?

00:15:36.070 --> 00:15:55.739 Tommy DiMisa: Harm reduction. Thank you. I couldn't. Couldn't grasp. But I was going all of the harm reduction gang, you know. That might not be, you know, if somebody is, doesn't understand addiction and doesn't understand substance abuse. And maybe it's challenges understanding. The mental health issues might think, no, that's not right. That's not how we do things. Well, I can't help somebody if they're gone tomorrow, right? We have to keep them

00:15:55.740 --> 00:16:12.675 Tommy DiMisa: here with us so we can do the work right? It's it's building and stacking these 2 things at the same time. Alright, the organization's Family and Children's Association. I'm blessed to have Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds here with me today we're gonna have a lot of conversations. We are going to go to a quick break. We'll be back in about 60 seconds and

00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:15.029 Tommy DiMisa: and you good, good Dr. Reynolds.

00:16:15.300 --> 00:16:15.880 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Good.

00:16:16.315 --> 00:16:18.054 Tommy DiMisa: Let's go break time.

00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:30.160 Tommy DiMisa: The attic every Friday.

00:18:30.280 --> 00:18:52.429 Tommy DiMisa: I mean, you can join me in the attic other days. We'll just be doing other things. But join me in attic every Friday morning for this particular program. Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds is here Family and Children's Association. So Dr. Reynolds, I want to. Actually, we're gonna go into Fca. Obviously, that's part of why you're here. But I wanna actually ask you, would you be open to playing around with? I ask you right here, live on the show kind of putting you on the spot. But

00:18:52.970 --> 00:19:08.079 Tommy DiMisa: with I wanna read this. So Dr. Reynolds, doctoral dissertation was on using the trans theoretical model of behavior change to explore substance, use patterns and HIV risk behaviors suburban sample. I don't want you to read your your thesis here.

00:19:08.080 --> 00:19:09.029 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: No, you don't.

00:19:09.030 --> 00:19:14.580 Tommy DiMisa: Patient here. I don't think I could make it through with my Adhd. But here's what I do want to understand.

00:19:15.210 --> 00:19:22.729 Tommy DiMisa: The work you do must be informed by the research you did so when I was doing my extra research this morning.

00:19:22.760 --> 00:19:27.319 Tommy DiMisa: I was saying, this is where this man lives. This is what he's involved with, I mean.

00:19:27.580 --> 00:19:33.799 Tommy DiMisa: how much does cause, you know, it's funny. I'm raising 4 kids with my wife. And

00:19:33.850 --> 00:19:36.229 Tommy DiMisa: I don't know that everybody needs to.

00:19:36.510 --> 00:19:46.249 Tommy DiMisa: not just my 4 children. But generally everybody needs to go into higher education, right? Like to go to that level. I think there's a lot of different. That's another conversation for another show.

00:19:46.360 --> 00:19:47.230 Tommy DiMisa: But

00:19:47.730 --> 00:19:52.330 Tommy DiMisa: certainly your background and the work you've done, and and the research you've done

00:19:52.470 --> 00:20:00.159 Tommy DiMisa: informs the work you do every day. Can you speak to a little bit about that like patterns of behavior, and like that? If you don't mind.

00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:13.000 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yeah, so it's it set the stage. And in fact, you know, before the break, the last thing we talked about was harm reduction and the basis for harm reduction is that trans theoretical model which is a fancy way of saying there are predictable patterns to the way people change

00:20:13.220 --> 00:20:29.120 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: right? And so for me, I followed a cohort of 400 injection drug users and sex workers over the course of 2 years, and talked to them about their willingness and desire to make changes in their lives, no matter how incremental

00:20:29.230 --> 00:20:52.879 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: right. And so we we took a look and said, So you know, if you have an intent to use less, if you have an intent to not share syringes back, then we used to talk with people about cleaning their syringes, you know. That's how you gain self efficacy. That's how you gain self agency. And then those are building blocks, you know. If you think about any behavior. You've stopped or started. There's a process we go through.

00:20:52.950 --> 00:21:04.369 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: And so I mentioned to you before we came on that that I'm a triathlete. I did. Ironman, Florida. There's a bunch of things that I did before I actually went and committed to doing that

00:21:04.370 --> 00:21:28.839 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: right. I went and did some research. I kind of thought about what swimming and biking and running for that amount of time would feel like. I wrote it on my calendar and and said, Iron Man, 140.6. I then started to tell people and say, Look, I'm going to do this really cool thing, to get that external support and to hem myself in. And so you, there's a process that we go through when we decide to adopt a behavior.

00:21:28.840 --> 00:21:43.680 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: If you've ever stopped something you begin thinking about the alternatives. Right? People who stop smoking began looking at, you know, Nrt. Ads, and and how to do nicotine replacement. They began cutting down. They began thinking about the impact that smoking has on their health.

00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:55.230 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: When we change, we do it in pretty predictable kind of ways that set the basis for where? For? The way we operate things at Fca, because it's our approach is we're going to get you where you're at

00:21:55.430 --> 00:22:06.679 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: right. If if I had never swam, bike, or run before, and somebody said, Why don't you swim 2 miles, bike 140 miles, and then we'll run a full marathon, I would say, have you lost your damn mind?

00:22:06.680 --> 00:22:07.100 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, right.

00:22:07.100 --> 00:22:19.670 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: That right. But the fact that there was a build up to that, that I was ready the same way. If we say to somebody who's actively using drugs. Do you want to quit? And typically our approach is, do you want to quit? You should quit? Do you want to quit? Do you want to quit?

00:22:19.830 --> 00:22:29.180 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: And that person tunes us out rather than so dude? What would life look like if you cut back a little bit, you know. Suppose you didn't smoke weed 1st thing in the morning? Right? What would life look like.

00:22:29.180 --> 00:22:32.609 Tommy DiMisa: How would your day? Just what would the trajectory of your day? Yeah.

00:22:32.610 --> 00:23:01.890 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yeah. And so it's meeting people where they're at, never leaving them there right? But meeting people where they're at. And if you're not ready to make those changes today, and those changes apply to everything it applies to drugs and alcohol. It applies to mental health. How can we help you make small incremental steps that work for you, and only you to get you down that to get you down that road. So that research really formed the basis for for a lot of what we do at Fca today. And quite frankly, a lot of how I live my life.

00:23:01.890 --> 00:23:10.230 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, well, I believe it. I'm looking around. I just look behind me because I keep a lot of books around me, and there's a book called I don't. It's here in the attic somewhere, but it's called

00:23:11.260 --> 00:23:14.805 Tommy DiMisa: The compound effect by Darren Hardy Darren Hardy used to.

00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:23.267 Tommy DiMisa: I I understand. He's not the editor anymore of Success magazine. But that was one of his businesses. He got a really cool book, and I

00:23:24.370 --> 00:23:31.979 Tommy DiMisa: it's just these little small incremental changes that we make. He. He tells one quick anecdote about these 3 friends

00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:49.049 Tommy DiMisa: who, you know, project the years in time. One guy, you know decides he's gonna cut down on the sugars and cut down on the cake and cookies right? And then another guy is gonna cut down on all that stuff and start to go to the gym every morning. You know. Not nothing crazy for 30 min, maybe 45 min at the gym right? And the other guy

00:23:49.050 --> 00:24:12.800 Tommy DiMisa: does. Nothing doesn't change, still has, you know, his, his 12 beers throughout the week, whatever the case may be, eaten the fried food, and just in that one year, you know, even if they started at the same place, they're in completely different places, because that, you know, it compounds over time. But it's those small, simple changes and decisions that we make. That's the big thing, right? The decision to decide that we're gonna make a different behavior.

00:24:13.580 --> 00:24:16.120 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: And look. I think consistency compounds.

00:24:16.120 --> 00:24:16.460 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah.

00:24:16.460 --> 00:24:21.181 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: And so, you know, early on in my running career, I made a decision where I was gonna run at least a mile every day.

00:24:21.430 --> 00:24:48.359 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: and I did it for 777 days, until a medical procedure took me out, and I will tell you, no matter what. So one night. We're at my son's gymnastics meet in Westchester. It's like 11 o'clock at night. I'm like I haven't run yet today. Literally leave the gymnastics meet stop by a park and run in my jeans and boots for for a mile in order to get it done. I ran through airports. I did whatever it took.

00:24:50.080 --> 00:24:51.479 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: but it was the consistency.

00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:58.930 Tommy DiMisa: It's the consistency and commitment. You weren't going to let the day end without you doing that. Huh? Get it in, man got to get it in love. That? Yeah.

00:24:59.750 --> 00:25:05.699 Tommy DiMisa: yeah, that. That's so so cool. I now I get this great visual of you up in Westchester at 1115 at night.

00:25:05.700 --> 00:25:08.899 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Got to get the mile in. Gotta get the mile in.

00:25:08.900 --> 00:25:22.709 Tommy DiMisa: World people listening wherever you are, wherever you found this, podcast or show wherever you are, you watching us. You listen to us. Think about that. It's a it's he was disciplined, he said. It's gonna strike midnight one way or the other, and either I'm going to be

00:25:23.180 --> 00:25:40.090 Tommy DiMisa: said that I didn't make it happen pissed off at myself, maybe, or I'm going to go. Nice job, Reynolds. You got another one in there. That's another day you did it. Yeah, I'll tell you this gang. You know I I'm not in the program, not an Aa or anything like that. It's not going to be a show about me, but I want to just say I understand.

00:25:40.310 --> 00:25:55.270 Tommy DiMisa: When I started when I had quit drinking many years ago, it was I just had to go to bed before I had a drink like that, was it? Actually, this is coming up for me now, realizing it because I was listening to Wayne Dyer, and he mentioned something about that, and it was similar to my my walk in life.

00:25:55.280 --> 00:26:03.320 Tommy DiMisa: And I think it's that it's that I knew. That was the way now it's many, many years ago. I do it for different reasons. I do it differently. But the point of the matter is.

00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:16.070 Tommy DiMisa: it was commitment, and the consistency. And that's what I'm hearing, and that's every part of life like you said, you know, that's that's from substance abuse to to athletics, to career. What do you want to do? What's your next step in life? What are you trying to accomplish? Right.

00:26:16.760 --> 00:26:27.399 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Look. And and for Fca. That consistency, you know, now goes back 140 years. Right? We're one of the oldest organizations on Long Island, founded in the late 18 hundreds.

00:26:27.733 --> 00:26:48.399 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: You know. Since then the organization has endured, you know, a couple world wars, the Great Depression, Sandy. 9 11. You know, Covid, you know you name it. And in fact, you know, during Covid, you know, I think we were the only organization that this was, I used to say to our staff, this is not our 1st pandemic.

00:26:48.460 --> 00:26:58.490 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: The folks who founded Fca in, you know, in 1918 and 1919, lived through the Spanish flu pandemic, and it became our rally cry, this is not our 1st pandemic. We got this.

00:26:58.490 --> 00:27:04.789 Tommy DiMisa: We're a bit of swagger during the pandemic to say it is not a 1st pandemic you should where their T-shirts you should get those.

00:27:04.790 --> 00:27:33.849 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: There were not because they weren't in the budget. But you know, look, I I think you know, organizations like ours really rose to the occasion during Covid, like Covid, really challenged us in ways that, you know, I think we're still experiencing, especially as it relates to mental health. But I was really proud of the fact. I'm proud of longevity for the organization. I'll tell you. There's a couple of things the longevity does for me right. One of the things it does for me is that when I feel like there is 0 way, I can take a day off. I look back and say

00:27:33.920 --> 00:28:01.880 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: dude the organization made up for 140 years without you. You know, they they were all okay. And there's going to be another 140 years. And so it does kind of it. It does humble you, and it situates your servant work in a much larger context, with tens of thousands of people have worked at Fca. Cared for people who needed a little bit of help, and we are part of that journey of a very, very long storied history.

00:28:01.880 --> 00:28:18.020 Tommy DiMisa: So is that for you? Is that like a you're saying? That's a bit of an ego check for you, you know, high on the horse about Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds. But really, just think about it's about these people it's about the team I find that most of the leaders I talk to are are. You know what, Tommy? It's not about me.

00:28:18.040 --> 00:28:46.540 Tommy DiMisa: It's not about me, man, you know. In your case it's about these 360 employee employees or these 200 volunteers right running these 40 programs which we'll get into today. You know, it's that right? It's the people I love that that's also important, I think. And I noticed something because I'm in the benefits world. I noticed something about you that you're certified in eap employee assistance programs. I want to talk about that as as how it kind of relates to what you do from a, from a leadership perspective, if we can get into it, and also it to me. It's like

00:28:47.010 --> 00:29:00.540 Tommy DiMisa: it. It's that ability that you say you can step away. We need to have that self time. You know, we need to cause. I I mean, I'm 1 of the these people that's like, Oh, even when I'm on vacation, man, I'm on no worries, man, I'll get on meetings. I'll get on phone call.

00:29:00.540 --> 00:29:01.150 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yeah.

00:29:01.600 --> 00:29:13.550 Tommy DiMisa: Not, good man, it's really not good. It's not the way to do things. It's not self, you know. Self care is not selfish. We got to remember that, and we all need to take our time when when appropriate. Right? That's what I think I'm hearing from too.

00:29:13.690 --> 00:29:18.659 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yeah. And I'm really cognizant in that. You know, my my leadership team is gonna

00:29:18.720 --> 00:29:27.410 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: kind of handle things the way I do. And if they see me never sign off. They're never going to be comfortable signing off, and you know, look, I have an obligation to them.

00:29:27.410 --> 00:29:33.810 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, that's so interesting. Because, you know, if you're in the office and you look, and his light or her light is still on, you're like, Oh, man, I can't leave.

00:29:33.810 --> 00:29:34.650 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Right, right.

00:29:34.650 --> 00:29:40.859 Tommy DiMisa: Like. That's what we were taught like, not just, you know. I grew up in the corporate world right? But you know, then you have

00:29:40.890 --> 00:29:45.689 Tommy DiMisa: nonprofit. Same kind of thing. Oh, well, the lights still on. I can't go. But if I see

00:29:45.880 --> 00:30:09.749 Tommy DiMisa: Dr. Reynolds going to his kids, gymnastics event or not missing that family thing without missing that. Then I realize that's the culture we're building. And I want to talk some about that, because, yeah, we're going to talk about programs. We're going to talk about how you impact community. But I think one of the most important parts of your community is the people who show up every day and get a paycheck on the 15th and 30, th because without them the organization doesn't run. So I want to talk a little bit if we could, about

00:30:09.750 --> 00:30:20.329 Tommy DiMisa: how that your internal community is, and how you know even I talked about the eap and stuff like that, because that to me is critically important. We talk a lot in my business about employer of choice.

00:30:20.330 --> 00:30:31.360 Tommy DiMisa: right? How do we care? So I think a lot of that is from leadership down, showing that balance of yes, I'm an individual. I have a family, and I'm here to work at this company, but you know

00:30:31.650 --> 00:30:36.230 Tommy DiMisa: none of us are, are irreplaceable at the end of the day, you know.

00:30:36.230 --> 00:30:41.669 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Right, and the last thing I want from my staff is for them to neglect their own families, as we're caring for other people's families.

00:30:41.670 --> 00:30:42.260 Tommy DiMisa: Right, right.

00:30:42.260 --> 00:30:44.849 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: We're all about strengthening families and communities.

00:30:44.870 --> 00:30:47.170 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Charity begins at home.

00:30:47.170 --> 00:31:01.299 Tommy DiMisa: Do the work. You do the work right? We're doing this work. We should be looking out for our own people. 100. Yeah, I totally get it all right. We do go to breaks as part of the show. I'd rather not, but it's part of the show. So here we are going to go to a quick one, Logan. Not too long. This is a short break. We'll be right back.

00:33:02.950 --> 00:33:03.500 Tommy DiMisa: My.

00:33:03.920 --> 00:33:04.489 Tommy DiMisa: Dr. Reynold.

00:33:05.130 --> 00:33:06.130 Tommy DiMisa: so

00:33:06.160 --> 00:33:23.769 Tommy DiMisa: I'm just sharing gang. If you're not listening, excuse me. Well, if you're not listening, I don't know how you're hearing me. But if you're not watching, go to Fca. Li org, FCA. Li. Org. If you are watching and listening. The funny story is, I'm scrolling through this during the break because I wanted to share it.

00:33:23.770 --> 00:33:37.870 Tommy DiMisa: And I looked down on my wrist. And I'm looking at this bracelet that you have on the website that I purchased at an event we hosted for the philanthropy network of New York, the on conference, and it says, unstoppable. And I'm wearing the bracelet on my wrist.

00:33:37.870 --> 00:33:38.640 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Nice.

00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:51.189 Tommy DiMisa: Audit from your team over there, but I didn't like put all the pieces together because another organization was selling candles right there, and I'd forgotten who I bought from. I think I would. Maybe maybe Page and the team were over there that day.

00:33:51.190 --> 00:33:51.900 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: They were. Yeah.

00:33:51.900 --> 00:34:03.869 Tommy DiMisa: About Page. Yes, I yes, I I remember. So I got my unstoppable bracelet. I didn't know the story about Anthony Robles here that 3 time all American wrestler who wrestles. He only has one leg.

00:34:04.104 --> 00:34:27.019 Tommy DiMisa: I didn't know any of this story, so shout out to Anthony, would love to connect with you and meet with you at some point. But I I've been wearing this bracelet with another bracelet that says, Never stop learning that I picked up from our own conference, and I appreciate you being at the on conference, your team being connected to the on conference, you you being you being with us the other night really is what I meant to say at a social event that we had really talking about the work we're doing with philanthropy network in New York.

00:34:27.020 --> 00:34:44.619 Tommy DiMisa: Liz and Kim, my partners in that venture were here a couple of weeks ago. We're not going to talk much about it, but gang. What we do is volunteerism and corporate social responsibility to connect businesses and nonprofit organizations to do that great work together. But I want to get into how about the braces? You you gotta get one you want me to get. You want to buy you one of these unstoppable.

00:34:44.620 --> 00:34:47.229 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Absolutely or or like 5.

00:34:47.230 --> 00:34:50.850 Tommy DiMisa: 5 bucks each. Now I see why you want me to buy 5.

00:34:50.850 --> 00:34:51.710 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Okay.

00:34:52.194 --> 00:35:09.489 Tommy DiMisa: But it it's it's this kind of stuff that really sticks with us. It's the connections. It's it's the the awareness. So I want to go back. Let's let's talk about the organization. You know, we talked 40 plus programs. I said, 360 employees. 24 million dollar annual budget.

00:35:09.950 --> 00:35:11.340 Tommy DiMisa: big organization

00:35:11.390 --> 00:35:17.429 Tommy DiMisa: doing real work. I mean, how many, how many thousands of people get support from this organization every year.

00:35:17.730 --> 00:35:30.380 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: So we're up to between 35 and 40,000. You know. I I checked the other day, and our youngest client is about 18 months right now, and our oldest client is a hundred 3.

00:35:30.510 --> 00:35:39.849 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: And so you know, we've got programs that run the lifespan. And and there's a couple of things, you know, that. Go into the thinking for that, and it's not just expansion for the sake of expansion. It's

00:35:39.930 --> 00:36:04.819 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: can we make it easier for folks to access the variety of services that they need in their lives. And can we? And I think Eac uses the same model? We want to make sure that if you have one problem, we don't have to send you up the block to 3 other agencies to get the care for the other challenges that happen in your life. The other thing that I'm really proud of is that we don't chase grants. We sit back and say what are the most pressing and vexing issues facing along

00:36:04.820 --> 00:36:11.409 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: island. And is that our space? And can we make a difference? And I'll give you just 3 quick examples. One is

00:36:11.770 --> 00:36:38.740 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: the opioid crisis has hit our region incredibly hard. We've run 2 treatment centers state license treatment centers, you know, since the beginning of time. But some of the programs we've added have filled the gaps in services that resulted in people losing their lives to overdoses. And so we opened 3 recovery centers where folks who had found a path to recovery could come and socialize or attend a meeting, or work on their resume, or just hang out with other sober people.

00:36:38.740 --> 00:36:51.540 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: We started a program called Sherpa, that works and walks alongside folks as they go on their journey as as a strategy to kind of keep them healthy, keep them alive, help them make changes in our lives and that kind of thing. And so

00:36:51.540 --> 00:37:10.129 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: our response to the opioid crisis has been really robust. One of the common denominators that, I'll say, is, we have a gun violence prevention program as well, and that came out of some emergent, you know, issues confronting Nassau County. In both of those programs the heart and soul of those programs are people with lived experience.

00:37:10.130 --> 00:37:31.760 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: And so the folks who work in our recovery programs are folks with lived experience. The folks that work in our violence prevention programs are all folks that have been victims or perpetrators of violence in the past and are hell bent on making their communities better. And then the 3rd place where we've really expanded is in our senior services.

00:37:31.760 --> 00:37:44.399 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: the single largest growing population in Nassau and Suffolk County are people over the age of 80. Why, young people are leaving in droves, which means that our population is aging, and we wanted to make sure that.

00:37:45.020 --> 00:37:47.819 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: like everybody wants for their parents and grandparents.

00:37:47.850 --> 00:38:03.610 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: that you're able to stay in your home. And here on Long island with the cost of living that's through the roof. It's very challenging to do that, and very challenging to get to the right care. So those 3 dynamics, the opioid crisis, gun violence in some communities.

00:38:03.610 --> 00:38:25.029 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: And then the issues facing older Long Islanders were 3 things that we identified a couple of years ago and said, Look, what are the dynamics look like? Where could we make a difference? Where is it kind of our space? There are other issues honestly, that we identify where I'm like, you know what? Let Eac do that. Let's partner with like head. Let's find somebody else to do that. It's not our sweet spot.

00:38:25.030 --> 00:38:41.669 Tommy DiMisa: So alright. So this is like critically important here from a Grant perspective. Because that's what I'm hearing. You know, it's like not mission drift. It's not like, let's stay in our lane. Once we evaluate the opportunities in front of us and the need opportunities. Another word for need. What is the need in the in. So you talk opioid crisis, which

00:38:41.690 --> 00:38:55.569 Tommy DiMisa: gosh, man, we could talk days about that because I we lost somebody very close to us, you know, 10 years ago, during when it was. It's it's unbelievable that this is still a crisis and epidemic. All these years later, I mean, I remember.

00:38:55.670 --> 00:39:02.150 Tommy DiMisa: actually, 14 years ago, somebody very close to me and my in our family passed. And at that time

00:39:03.390 --> 00:39:18.020 Tommy DiMisa: everyone you said that story to said, Yeah, yeah, I know my cousin, or you know, my, a guy went to high school with or you know that sort of thing like that, was it? And there's this movie on. I don't know if you've seen it yet, and it's called is it called Painkiller?

00:39:18.020 --> 00:39:33.149 Tommy DiMisa: I think it's called Painkiller. It's on Netflix with Matthew Broderick. I watched him, and I. I hated Matthew Broderick at the end of it, because he plays the head of Purdue Pharma, and I mean, like these these people knew, and they just kind of doubled down and doubled down and made this worse. And

00:39:33.540 --> 00:39:43.999 Tommy DiMisa: so I'm getting off track. But opioid crisis the guns, and then the seniors. The thing I want to ask you about specifically, as it relates to the seniors, although I want to play with these other 2 topics. Well, if we have time.

00:39:44.520 --> 00:39:48.899 Tommy DiMisa: you said that young people who are leaving Long Island because they can't make it here.

00:39:48.980 --> 00:39:54.120 Tommy DiMisa: What is somebody on a fixed income. How are they gonna make it here like? And I

00:39:54.200 --> 00:40:18.120 Tommy DiMisa: I want to ask you that. And then I want to go back to your piece about. You know you're not chasing grants, because I think that's very informative to other leaders and nonprofits. I mean, I have friends who run nonprofits that have a $50,000 annual budget, right? And then we have organizations like yours, and then even organizations that are larger. So it really runs a gamut. But so let's start with the senior crisis. And and how are you supporting these these people? Because

00:40:18.580 --> 00:40:28.880 Tommy DiMisa: they don't want to leave? And then they actually like you said, people are living longer, so they need access to care. So they need to be mobile, and as best as possible. So let's talk a little bit about that.

00:40:29.350 --> 00:40:42.499 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: So I I think a lot of it is, you know, there's 2 main approaches. One is that getting seniors the help they need before they're in crisis is really really important. And so we run a very robust financial counseling program

00:40:42.720 --> 00:40:49.890 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: very often. And and you know, I see this in in folks who I've encountered in my own life life by the time they reach out for help.

00:40:50.400 --> 00:40:54.719 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Financially, there's a lot of wreckage. It's like, okay. I don't know if we could fix this.

00:40:54.720 --> 00:41:01.949 Tommy DiMisa: Because what do we do? You can't go back and work the last 40 years, or go do it. You didn't do it. So now it's done right.

00:41:01.950 --> 00:41:29.730 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: But if but if we do some planning in the right way in terms of Medicaid eligibility and things like that, you know, there are seniors who come to us, and they're like, well, I could stay in my home, but I'm having a hard time caring for the house financially. I'm okay, but I can't do all of these chores anymore, and I can't find anyone. I don't trust anyone to come into my house. Well, we have a chore worker program. We actually put people in your house right? And so some of that is just looking for small ways to help people. And we do that with kids, too, but very often

00:41:29.730 --> 00:41:33.190 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: people don't need a whole lot of help. It's a little lift up

00:41:33.200 --> 00:42:02.210 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: every once in a while. That makes a huge difference. And so with the senior population. It's, you know, having conversations with the family. It's rallying the troops. It's making sure that you have good access to medical care. If you're heading down a road where you have some memory issues or some dementia, it's intervening early enough so that we can kind of address that and and get it dealt with. We use the same approach when we deal with folks in Hempstead who are struggling with poverty, illiteracy that recently arrived immigrants. We find that you know that

00:42:02.210 --> 00:42:25.329 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: early hug that early wraparound services that early. You know. We're here to help you. If we can't help you, I'll get you to somebody who can, no matter what we're in. This together, makes a huge difference. And sometimes, just psychologically, for seniors, knowing that there's a whole team of, you know, 360 people behind them, no matter what that in and of itself makes a huge difference.

00:42:25.330 --> 00:42:30.280 Tommy DiMisa: It's a big deal, it really is, and and you know I I God! I have so many questions for you.

00:42:30.820 --> 00:42:55.629 Tommy DiMisa: I'd love to have you back and do this again, because we're never going to cover a lot of things because you, you bring so much interesting background and and knowledge to these different scenarios. I I want to go and talk. Let's go back to that grant piece a minute, because I'd like you if if we were speaking to your peers in this world who sometimes go. We can get in on this X dollar grant over here, if we you know whatever kind of, you know I don't want to. Well, I'll just say it.

00:42:55.730 --> 00:43:10.920 Tommy DiMisa: Shoehorn something a program to make it work. So it fits with us, although it's what do you think about that, and what what? Obviously I know what you think better from what you just said, how you all do it. But can you speak about best practices as they approach grant makers and opportunities like that.

00:43:11.410 --> 00:43:40.250 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: I think Grant makers have become much more sophisticated that they look for collaboration. So when we open thrive in Suffolk County it wasn't just an Fca program. We engage 3 partners. We engage the community to come up with the name and the branding and that kind of thing. And so I think the more you open it up and say, Look, we need partners in this, or this is not our space. You know you mentioned Neila. Neila and I trade off grant opportunities all the time where we say this isn't for us, but maybe it's for you.

00:43:40.581 --> 00:44:00.810 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Where we do joint projects together. That's what serve the community. Really. What you would hope for is not individual organizations on street corners doing their own thing? What you want is a patchwork a safety net so that nobody's gonna fall through. And we're all gonna stitch ourselves together and make sure that we aren't losing people in the process.

00:44:00.810 --> 00:44:12.099 Tommy DiMisa: I love that patchwork safety net. And then he said, we're all gonna stitch together. He kept it going. Man, you know that's good. You're a heck of a storyteller man. We could definitely hang out more often.

00:44:12.100 --> 00:44:12.720 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Absolutely.

00:44:12.720 --> 00:44:26.519 Tommy DiMisa: I I want to ask you before we go to a break. We did call this, you know, child's mental health, and we haven't really touched on much of that at all. And we're going to run out of time. So when we come back from the break, we're gonna I want you to just hit upon that if you could. You know about.

00:44:27.400 --> 00:44:48.999 Tommy DiMisa: I'm raising 4 kids. They're 1413, 11, and 9. These frigging devices and everything else that's coming at them, and the Fentanyl, and the this and that. I don't know, man. I I grew up in the eighties and in the nineties, and that was a challenging time. I feel like this is more difficult for kids. So if we could at least touch upon it, and then maybe you and I do something else. A Facebook live to focus on that

00:44:49.000 --> 00:45:13.670 Tommy DiMisa: even more. So so if that's cool with you, let's come back a little bit about that maybe we can hit the opioid crisis. And I really gotta know from, you know from you and from what the development team said, make sure you tell them about this event. Make sure you tell them about that event, that sort of stuff. We gotta hit that before we go. And then also, any ways we can help. So the show's philanthropy and focus the leader of this organization, Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds Family and Children's Association is the name of your organization, and it's break time. We'll be back in a couple of minutes.

00:47:17.040 --> 00:47:25.009 Tommy DiMisa: I feel like we got a lot to do in a little time to do it, and my daughter is in the Alice in Wonderland play later on. So I feel like that white rabbit, you know.

00:47:25.580 --> 00:47:31.999 Tommy DiMisa: like, I'm trying to do a lot of things. I got 19 questions. We got 7 or 8 min to do it all in. So let's do this. Let's talk about

00:47:32.080 --> 00:47:45.140 Tommy DiMisa: the organization's scope of work on the child's mental health case and and cause. I was going to also ask how that affects your employees and their children. So I think it's all informative about that and then, if we have some time to go into other topics, I'll I'll take us there.

00:47:45.680 --> 00:47:57.470 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yeah, so brand brand new news out within the past day or so in terms of children's mental health. Federal government does an annual survey, and they came out and said, Hey, great news kids! Mental health didn't get any worse in the past year.

00:47:57.510 --> 00:48:03.140 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Well, that's terrible. Because last year 25% of the kids surveyed contemplated suicide.

00:48:03.140 --> 00:48:03.900 Tommy DiMisa: Oh, it's a.

00:48:03.900 --> 00:48:13.959 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: So how is this a victory? When we leave behind 25% of our kids who are actively thinking about taking their own lives. And so we've got a long way to go. When it comes to kids. Mental health

00:48:13.960 --> 00:48:40.820 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: in any given month, we serve between 3 and 400 kids with mental health issues, supporting their families and and getting them to the right services and providing them with the counseling. I will say it's challenging, you know, here in Nassau and Suffolk. If you try to look up an adolescent psychiatrist today and you call for an appointment. Assuming you can get through. They're gonna give you an appointment. If you call today sometime in in late October. Lots of bad things happen to kids over the span of 2 or 3 months.

00:48:40.840 --> 00:49:10.220 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: And so we've got a a huge mental health crisis on our hands, very happy. A couple of years ago, when Governor Hochul announced a 1 billion dollar investment in children's mental health. But jeez, that that money needs to get out to communities a lot faster. Our kids are struggling. Our kids are not doing. Okay. Our kids are struggling, you know. You asked a little bit about social media. And I think that plays a big role in this and New York State is taking some landmark steps when it comes to social media.

00:49:10.220 --> 00:49:14.589 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: When parents say to me, Look, you know, my kids on social media, is it really the end of the world?

00:49:14.680 --> 00:49:23.330 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: The question I asked them, and I think it's a million dollar question is, if Tiktok or Instagram were a place? Would you let your child go there by themselves.

00:49:23.840 --> 00:49:26.609 Tommy DiMisa: Wow! What a paradigm shift! Man!

00:49:26.680 --> 00:49:27.990 Tommy DiMisa: Wow!

00:49:28.370 --> 00:49:28.960 Tommy DiMisa: Alright! Well, thank you.

00:49:28.960 --> 00:49:31.339 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: About it for a second. Think about everything we see on Tiktok.

00:49:31.340 --> 00:49:40.609 Tommy DiMisa: About totally unregulated access to all sorts of things that I have no idea what they're seeing right right with adult human beings. They're doing whatever right.

00:49:40.610 --> 00:49:44.219 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Imagine a scary circus with scary clowns and everything that's basically what.

00:49:44.220 --> 00:49:44.680 Tommy DiMisa: Don't care!

00:49:44.680 --> 00:49:45.410 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Kids.

00:49:45.410 --> 00:49:49.959 Tommy DiMisa: Wouldn't let. Of course not. Right? Right. That's the answer. Right?

00:49:49.960 --> 00:50:04.929 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: So. And and you know the reality is, the Feds are not going to regulate this. Nobody's going to regulate it. But that starts at home. I always say to parents, stop waiting for Congress. Stop waiting for the governor. You know some of this is abandoning that.

00:50:04.930 --> 00:50:24.269 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Do as I say, not as I do mindset, and parents will say, you shouldn't always be on social media. Meanwhile I see families out to dinner where both parents are on their phones for the entire 45 min an hour. And so part of this is is modeling the behavior we want to see in our kids. Part of this is normalizing mental health issues.

00:50:24.270 --> 00:50:24.720 Tommy DiMisa: Matthew.

00:50:24.720 --> 00:50:41.299 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Giving our kids the tools and the terms to express how they're feeling. We know that kids who struggle with anxiety and depression and insomnia without the proper care. What are they gonna do? They're gonna turn to cannabis. They're gonna turn to alcohol. They're gonna turn to other things.

00:50:41.300 --> 00:50:41.710 Tommy DiMisa: You bring it.

00:50:41.710 --> 00:50:42.599 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Healthy, if.

00:50:42.600 --> 00:50:46.040 Tommy DiMisa: If they're not going to get the services they need, they're going to find the services they need.

00:50:46.040 --> 00:50:55.170 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Absolutely, you're gonna find a way to make the uncomfortability go away. You're gonna find a way to feel like you fit in. Yeah. And and once once.

00:50:55.170 --> 00:51:00.199 Tommy DiMisa: Pain, Dr. Reynolds, and I don't have something to solve the pain. I'm gonna go find something to.

00:51:00.200 --> 00:51:00.750 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: That's right.

00:51:00.750 --> 00:51:05.699 Tommy DiMisa: Help me with the pain. That's that's the thing that's we're pretty resourceful as a species, you know.

00:51:05.700 --> 00:51:20.490 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: 100%. And look if it's not pain, it's you know, there are kids who will say, for the 1st time, I feel like I'm at peace. I feel like I fit in. I feel normal quote unquote. And then we're we're wrestling that joint or that beer away from that kid

00:51:20.590 --> 00:51:44.979 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: along with their normalcy, they're never gonna let go right? And so you know, this crisis in kids, mental health Covid didn't cause it. Kids kids have mental health problems long before Covid. It made it worse. But it's an opportunity for us to begin to integrate the way we approach these things, you know. Still, in this state. Mental health and substance use disorders are dealt with with 2 separate State agencies, very often 2 separate types of programs.

00:51:44.980 --> 00:52:02.530 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Let's integrate this together. Let's not have the social media conversation separately. Let's talk about how it impacts mental health. Let's talk about how bullying impacts kids, mental health. Let's talk about how mental health impacts kids ability or desire to use substances, sometimes into their teens and young adulthood.

00:52:02.530 --> 00:52:10.039 Tommy DiMisa: I I wanna just say something. Listen. You're obviously you're the doctor. I'm not. So I'm gonna ask you this. But my assumption is

00:52:11.640 --> 00:52:17.839 Tommy DiMisa: I think one fits into the other. Category. Right substance, abuse, at least in my world, is a mental health issue.

00:52:17.840 --> 00:52:18.729 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: 100%.

00:52:18.730 --> 00:52:45.269 Tommy DiMisa: Right? So one is like, you know, it's 1 of those things like a logic statement, or whatever like, you know, one is just part of the other. Obviously, it's not substance abuse. I don't know where anybody who goes. I'm just gonna go use some substances, you know, without having some catalyst in their life that makes them feel like they're searching for something right? And then you know that 1st drink or that 1st smoke, or that first, st whatever you know might may feel good, did feel good, whatever. But then, on the and the tail end of that.

00:52:45.270 --> 00:52:55.239 Tommy DiMisa: you know, it gets it's much worse. Obviously, as we know. So so it's just it's funny how these things were separate and siloed, and certainly don't belong that way. They need to.

00:52:55.240 --> 00:53:24.029 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: For sure, for sure. But you know, Tommy, one of the things that we've become really clear on is that all the needs we've talked about. We have waiting lists for some of our services, and so government doesn't properly fund a lot of the things we're talking about, or they're late to the party, and so the children's mental health crisis has been burgeoning for 10 years. Same thing with the opioid crisis even longer. You know. One of the things we rely on is charitable contributions from the community. People like you buy $35 bracelets.

00:53:24.030 --> 00:53:25.740 Tommy DiMisa: All that's dead. But then.

00:53:26.230 --> 00:53:29.750 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: $35 is what enables us to

00:53:30.240 --> 00:53:59.680 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: whittle down that waiting list. It's what enables us to serve kids and to serve seniors. And so, you know, Paige O'brien would kill me if I didn't mention our full harvest celebration on on November 14th one of our biggest fundraisers of the year. It's in in Beth page at the Heritage Club you mentioned Kim Cottage, one of our Honorees this year, which I'm really excited about. She's a dynamo. She's done a lot for us, and so we are honoring her

00:53:59.680 --> 00:54:10.479 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: also on the mental health front. Tommy Shovelan, Nassau County, Pba, who's been very open about his own mental health challenges and suicide among cops.

00:54:10.480 --> 00:54:17.840 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, just to interrupt you really quick. I'm sharing that that. So this is, if you go to the website gang, you could see November 14, th at the Heritage Club event. Page will be there.

00:54:17.930 --> 00:54:29.819 Tommy DiMisa: You know, Liz, say that Kim Cottage, obviously one of your Honorees and me. I will be there representing and and supporting. So we'll be in the room that night. Go back to the the piece with the the gentleman who's a police officer.

00:54:30.000 --> 00:54:57.449 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yeah. So one of our honorees Tommy Chevelin runs the NASA County Pba. His entire platform is on mental health issues and law enforcement been very public about his own struggles as a cop with mental health issues very outspoken on the issue of suicide prevention for for both law enforcement and and veterans. And so you know, the plea here is, you know, Fca is is an organization that really serves to bring

00:54:57.450 --> 00:55:00.210 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: communities together, and that we're all in this.

00:55:00.210 --> 00:55:10.100 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: You can't look at this and say, Well, I don't work for Fca. So there's no role for me. There's a role for all of us, both in our personal lives, in our professional lives and becoming a part of these organizations.

00:55:10.100 --> 00:55:30.649 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: You know we we were on a call a bunch of not not for profit executives this morning talking about some stuff that's happening in Suffolk County, and we all talked about how different the county would look without places like Island Harvest and Long Island care as an Eac and Licat and Fca. And Family Service League, and and what would Suffolk County be like without all of us.

00:55:31.940 --> 00:56:01.769 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: you know, and and I will say there's another benefit to that, and that is, you know, at Fca we got 360 people who have stepped up and said, You know what? I'm probably not going to make as much money, but I'm committed to my community, and I want to see a community that's healthier. That's safer. I want to make sure that my kids and grandkids can live here and and enjoy all of the benefits that other communities may be enjoyed in the past. And I think you know most of these, not for profits are about bringing communities together, bringing people together and making a difference.

00:56:01.770 --> 00:56:21.651 Tommy DiMisa: So I want to challenge the whole sector. I want to challenge anybody listening. Here's the thing about that, that's what. By the way, that's what this show is about to say. I don't understand how government say. I always say no one does this work. If it's not for you just mentioned. The names. You know, the list of the organizations for Long Island are doing this work, and there's thousands of them.

00:56:22.240 --> 00:56:26.460 Tommy DiMisa: that that's always been the premise of the show is that who would do this?

00:56:26.670 --> 00:56:32.630 Tommy DiMisa: No one would. That's the point. Right? So what what drives me absolutely bonkers is

00:56:34.280 --> 00:56:38.610 Tommy DiMisa: that your staff has to quote unquote. Take a haircut

00:56:38.670 --> 00:56:52.969 Tommy DiMisa: to work with your organization or another organization. Why? And and I know why? Because it's money. But why don't we, as a society and the government and all these things. And I'm putting you out there with this question. It's not really more of a you know. We'll get to it some other day. Kind of question, maybe. But

00:56:53.210 --> 00:57:03.249 Tommy DiMisa: how do we fix the fact that why should these people not be making as much money as in other parts of the marketplace, when they're doing the work that's helping community. I don't get it. Dr. Reynolds.

00:57:03.570 --> 00:57:20.640 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Well. And look we, we are charged with solving our communities most vexing problems, right homelessness, untreated addiction, mental health issues keeping our seniors. These are important things, and we know that on Long Island, when those healthcare disparities flourish, we all suffer.

00:57:20.640 --> 00:57:21.490 Tommy DiMisa: Yes.

00:57:21.910 --> 00:57:28.109 Tommy DiMisa: Well, so so again. So yeah, I always. This is the last thing I'll I'll leave with, because it drives me nuts. So

00:57:28.750 --> 00:57:45.119 Tommy DiMisa: a company that's going to the market. A for profit company, a startup that's looking for. To raise funds would never say, Hey, look how little we pay our people. And look how much. Look how little we spend on our programmings and R&D, and and iterating. No, they would never say that, they would say, here's what we're doing. We're investing

00:57:45.140 --> 00:57:54.820 Tommy DiMisa: that needs to be flipped. I don't know how I've been. I'm sure you've been complaining about it longer than I've even known how what nonprofits were. But right, I mean, it's so. It's something we need to talk about.

00:57:55.030 --> 00:58:17.716 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Yep, yep, Tommy, look I you know it's things like this that bring everybody together. So I really appreciate it not only on behalf of Fca. But on the on behalf of the entire sector, I'm the guy that gets to do radio shows and and podcasts while the folks on our staff are out there doing the hard work, and as we speak they're talking to folks in crisis. They're providing shelter to homeless kids. They're working with seniors and

00:58:18.243 --> 00:58:28.620 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: you know I'm privileged to lead the team. But I'm just amazed at the work they do day in and day out, very quietly, with a lot of humility, with a lot of grace and with a lot of gratitude.

00:58:28.620 --> 00:58:55.330 Tommy DiMisa: Well, the 359 other people other than this man. I'm sending out love and shout outs and hugs, and thank you for everything you're doing, and I'm sending those to you, too, sir, but they're not here to hear it as much, you know. So thank you for what you do. Thank you for everybody who serves in the nonprofit sector. Thank you, Dr. Reynolds, for being, you know, just an incredible guest. An incredible conversation. Obviously this show is never long enough. We always run out of time. We never run out of words. Make it a great day, everybody. We'll see you next Friday morning. I'll be right here in the attic.

00:58:55.730 --> 00:58:56.610 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds: Thanks, my friend.

00:58:56.610 --> 00:58:57.460 Tommy DiMisa: Thank you, sir.

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